To brighten the grays

Aside from all shades of green, a really great color for gray days is cranberry red. It’s eye catching and it is happy.

The first time I wore my dove gray dress I was in a hurry. So I went monochrome even with accessories. I wore the dress with gray shoes and pewter gray bag and light and dark gray freshwater pearls.
But I liked today’s color combination much better.

Birthday Day!

Couldn’t wait to start wearing my new coat! Yeah, yeah!
The thing with bright colors is letting them taking center stage and to keep every thing else neutral and sparse.
So despite the chilly air, no scarves or hats for today, just a bright royal blue coat to keep me warm!

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, no worries; I am alive and of today a year older. My long absence these days was due to a hectic life, a couple of abstracts to be submitted to conferences, some emotional up and downs and my computer being infected with some new virus or a malware (malworm?!).

Pretty busy, my friends!

And then my birthday… let’s not talk about age and getting older and stuff. I get pretty depressed just thinking about the digits in my advance age!

As for birthday presents, I am in love with my new inky blue coat and wonderful new perfume.

The Rain these days

… has me wrapping myself in layers, tops, dresses, cardigans, trenches, hats, scarves… the whole nine yards! I’ve also become very dependant on my old trench coat.

When life gets tough…

Working on a couple of writing assignments, surviving a few thunder storms and a few deadlines and finally dealing with a lot of pent up anger, these have been high stress days for me. When life gets tough, my outfits tend to get simpler. Under stress, I prefer more layered and comfortable looks than tailored clothes. Call it a defense mechanism!

Lesson learnt

I guess I slightly over did it with today’s outfit, not that I mind! I was deliciously toasty the whole day. Wedge boots have all the comfort of flats plus the height advantage. I just wish these were available in cream or a light tan color. Then my boot life would have been perfect!

First Rain

The day starts with “Dang, The rain was supposed to be tomorrow!” And continues with “oh gosh, what should I wear now?!”. See, my prepared outfit was for a half cloudy day, not rain and drizzle and wind and 63 degree chill.
So I wore a variation of one of my last year’s outfits (this and this) and shivered the whole day!

What I loved this week:

…maxi skirts for Fall. Our crazy hot weather has been in 90s this week and I’m dreaming of cool autumn days, gray skies and a nice breeze. A soft dark maxi skirt that flows a little with the wind would look so picturesque. Wear it with a short jacket, a pair of platform suede booties and a big scarf and it looks perfect!

… The book: “It's In the Bag: What Purses Reveal---and Conceal” by Winifred Gallagher. This little book was a fun read for a bagaholic like me!

…an initial gold pendant. So dainty and delicate, so personal and so old fashioned. A nice way to make a statement.

Classes are

…taking over my life!

Getting ready for classes early in the morning is tough (and yes, 9:00am is early for me!). Add to that our hot weather and my new morning run (I’m always late for this class) and tough becomes super tough!

I should add:
1- Wednesday morning, after a quick discussion with dear hubby about his black shorts, I went to my closet to get ready and was surprised to find my black city shorts on top of “Wear these” pile. I hadn’t worn those shorts for 2 years, hadn’t seen them for at least 1 year. How they ended up on top of that pile is a miracle in itself. So I took that as a sign (and honestly couldn’t be bother to plan an outfit) and wore them. How is that for being innovative?
2- With my classmates wearing short shorts and cut-offs I was in good company. Just wish I was young enough for shorter versions. But hey, grad school should mean having some dignity, huh?
3- World, meet my new flats. They definitely merit their own special introduction considering I searched for them two whole months. They are very comfortable and can act dressed up or down. And no, I’m not going to talk about that blister below my right ankle!
4- Wide leg jeans may mean casual Friday but when the weather is hot, jeans are just way too much.
5- It feels really good when someone says “I like your outfit” and asks where you bought a certain article.

Morning walk

I’m being forced to take a 15 minutes walk going the whole length of campus.
See, the traffic department’s been enforcing the policy of parking close to your respective department, selling the permit for just that parking area. Now, my office is at one side of the campus, the class I finally got to attend on the other side, hence the morning walk.
I’m so glad the kitten heels are back in vogue. There is no way I can walk the distance in my 3 inch heels twice a day and be on time, without spraining my ankle!

Hotter than Hades

I feel like a weather forecaster reporting day to day changes in temperature, but it past 110 degree today! Holly …! Coming out of buildings felt like opening the door of an oven! We past the boiling point and were somewhere close to sublimation!

Well, enough witty puns, let’s talk about what to wear when you are close to phase-change from intense heat. Something loose and thin and unrestricted, something a little flowy to take advantage of what little breeze there might be… something uncomplicated…

Also the less layers the better but be mindful of putting (or rather not putting) your underthings on display! No VPL, no bra-bulges (or other unsightly bulges for that matter!), no visible bra straps, plz! Hot weather is no excuse for being trashy or tasteless!

My solution which included a little something for freezing AC-ed rooms as well:

What I loved this week:

Do you know how hard it is to come up with three things I liked each week? Some weeks (like these last two) I don’t see anything interesting, being confined to rooms and chairs and white boards…

Anyhow, I loved the way some undergrads put together a simple transitional uniform: flowy chiffony skirts, pretty tank tops or tees and thin long cardigans. Ooh, and shouldn’t forget; cute lovely ballet flats. I saw this uniform on several girls and I admired the chic simplicity of it, also their taste!

…My new 3 in 1 convertible black cardigan. It can be worn multiple ways. I just have to get the hang of it!

…and that’s it for this week, kittens! Only two, not three!

Go enjoy your Sunday instead!

Life in a fast lane

What a week it has been. Every day in school, meeting lots of new people, getting kicked out of three classes*, crazy temperature changes,… Indian summer, how I hate you!

* I wanted to audit a few classes but apparently the room capacity comes first: 25 people and no more! For freshman classes? WTF? I think this is the universe’s way of telling me to stop taking classes and start teaching them!

What I loved this week:

…my beautiful messenger style bag with its shaggy flap. The leather is buttery soft and the calf hair flap is nice and pet-able. Carrying this bag is like having your little Dutch hound with you.

…Nina Garcia’s latest book “Look Book: What to Wear for Every Occasion” with beautiful illustrations from Ruben Toledo.

…a glass of full bodied red vino. Sometimes it’s one of those days (or weeks) and you need something to help you relax.

And on that note:

Salute, my dears!

Do you…

…need a little pick-me-up too?

Things have been crazy these days. I had to attend a training course bright and early Tuesday morning. I was out of the door by 7:00am (a record for me, really) and in the class by 8:00, settling into my chair and computer station when the signup sheet reached me and… my name wasn’t on the list. I had to leave the class, wait an hour until office personnel get to their desks to get answers. Then had to schlep around for half day in a hot weather in the clothes I had picked for attending a lab session. Yeah, that meant long-sleeved cardigan and jeans and sneakers. Sneakers, Ugh! It was suffocating!

I don’t hate my Pumas, they are the most comfortable shoes to be worn for hours standing and working in the lab. But believe me, after their maiden voyage last year (to Notre Dame University) they hadn’t been worn!

At least I got to pump up my deflated shoe-ego by wearing 5 inch snake skin pumps to dinner!

I learned my lesson! For today’s classes I wore my tried and true (and comfortable) outfit and didn’t care one bit that we ended up in a chemistry lab doing experiments!

Prelude to a busy week

This week is going to be the busiest after my almost lazy summer, full of meetings and trainings and meeting a lot of new people. I was going crazy with anxiety yesterday, so I started putting my outfits together for the whole week. And don’ ya guess? After that I was feeling much calmer!

Well, this is what I had on for today’s meeting. Pretty lady-like, huh?

P.S. I went through hundreds and hundreds pictures of floral skirts and I couldn’t find anything similar to my own skirt. Does it mean I have a truly unique sense of style? Huh! Anyway I had to stop being lazy and just photograph the darn skirt myself!

What I loved this week:

The weather has gone a little chilly but inside the buildings AC is still blasting. It’s time to layer if you want to stay comfortable. Thin cashmere (or cotton) cardigans or scarves that folds into nothing and fit perfectly inside handbags will be the lifesavers.

The fog, the chill…

After a hot day, a fogy and chilly evening is time to cozy up in Fall’s essentials. Just a little reminder that autumn is coming soon.

What I loved this week:

Fall colored nail polishes. There is such a small time window for displaying you pedicure in the Fall and with all the gorgeous dark reds and purples and oranges, I like to start early! My favorites are:

1- Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Plum Crème (1)

2- Confetti #055 Dress to the 9’s (2)

3- Milani Nail Color Foxy Lady 34 (3)

(4) Essie in Racy Garnet Red (4)

5- 5 OPI in 20 Candles on My Cake (5)

Loose cotton tops. Good to wear with shorts or white jeans in the hot afternoons or put a thin cardigan over in the evening or when AC is chilly. And yes, right now I’m partial to Gray!

French Macaroons. So good, so sweet, so colorful! They are the most “feel good and be happy” pastries I’ve ever tasted.

The last of summer

We are back to high 80s and 90s for this weekend which is good. I mean it gives me the opportunity of wearing my new maxi dress a couple of times before putting it away for next year.

Now the question is: flats or wedges? Or both? Day or night?

You are getting cold, colder,…

Having a couple of cool breezy days was reason enough to test drive my fall wardrobe. I tried to put a new spin on Olive, matching it with blush.

What I loved this week:

Wearing maxi dresses. With temperature warm enough to wear dresses day and night, I was able to give my neglected maxi dresses a workout. I have two, one black; one patterned in red and yellow flowers. Adding a few more (may be couple of solids) to my collection sounds like a good idea:

Wearing two pendant necklaces. Delicate gold chains and pendants in complementary shapes look good together.

Colorful ballet flats. I am so looking for the perfect pair! I really need: One pair in red, a pair in snake skin pattern, a pair in black with a bow, and something with a little embellishment. Ooh, and a pair in leopard print!

Hotness is not always good!

Dang! It’s hot. For the past two weeks the temp. has been between 85-95. Even at night is it in upper 70s. So what a girl’s got to do? One word: Dresses, dresses, dresses; Lose, breezy and uncomplicated. My gypsy maxi dress is getting a lot of workout. The metallic sandals go great with the metallic trim on my Cole Haan hobo. Aside from that, it is too hot for froufrou!

P.S.: In the interest of getting a little cooler, I also cut my hair. After two years of having shoulder-length hair, now I’m gone jaw-length! Cool!

The cat’s meow

…or maybe a leopard’s gentle roar!

For years and years and with all my love for all kind of feline, I used to treat leopard print with wary eyes, never to get close, never to buy the print. It always reminded me of loud style of 80’s and big curls and loud music and (sorry!) fat ladies! Up until last year my only leopard printed possession was a hair barrette. Then two years ago, I become brave enough and added a dress in stylized leopard print to my wardrobe right after seeing the print for six months straight. The dress went unworn for months and has been worn just once since!

Then I bought a gray leopard print scarf last winter which (surprise surprise!) I wore it most of the winter and well into spring even on my spring vacation.

Now with leopard being the dominant pattern everywhere, I’ve become obsessed. Still knowing myself, I’m focusing on accessories. I pushed my style boundaries and bought a pair of leopard print pumps last week and am looking for a thin scarf or a faux fur muffler, or maybe a pair of gloves or a belt. Ooh, rest assure, I’m not going to wear all these together. Small doses of this print is apparently all I can take!

What I loved this week:

My eyeliner: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackened Brown. It has made my eye make up so much easier and so much faster. The winged (or cat-eye) lining on the eyes has become very easy. Just draw a little line and put (my favorite) smoky Shadow blast on and viola, done! no more messing with eye pencils!

Cotton A-line easy dresses. Ahh, the weather finally has gone above 80 and nothing is better than a breezy light dress.

Green Tea smoothies. Yeah, I know; fruit smoothies taste better but the sweetness isn’t too appealing in the scalding hotness of the afternoon. So it is either a green tea one or a lemonade. Let me tell you, green tea is very refreshing!